12/24/2014, 00.00
INDIA
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Assam: separatist guerrilla attacks, 56 dead and over 80 injured. Curfew imposed.

Villagers taken from their homes and gunned down in summary executions; women and children amongst the victims. Revenge in response to the army offensive against separatists of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Condemnation of the Indian Premier and Head of State.

New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The death toll from a series of attacks by armed militiamen yesterday afternoon, in a remote area of north-east India has risen to 56; more than 80 people have been wounded, some seriously. Eyewitnesses report that the fighters pulled the villagers from their homes and gunned them down in summary executions. The attacks which appear to be linked and  coordinated, are concentrated in Assam, which has already been the scene of past violence. Delhi has imposed a curfew, to avert an escalation of terror.

The Chief Minister of the State of Assam reports that among the victims there are also several women and children, and he ensures that the culprits will be punished according to law. "We are in the presence of one of the most barbaric attacks of recent times - Tarun Gogoi said - with the militants not even sparing infants."

According to police sources behind the raid there is the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), which has been fighting for autonomy and a separate homeland for decades. The guerrillas reportedly launched their attacks in response to a series of army operations against them, within the context of an offensive launched some time ago by the Central Government.

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has condemned the attacks, which were concentrated in villages of the districts of Kokrajhar and Sonitpur, calling them an "act of cowardice". Most of the victims were tribespeople who worked in the tea plantations. The militiamen opened fire without making any distinction between men, women and children; some of the victims were forcefully dragged for meters, then gunned down.

Assam is one of seven states in the northeast of India, on the border with China, Myanmar, Bhutan and Bangladesh. It has a ten-year history of sectarian violence and attacks by separatist guerrillas, fighting for greater autonomy (if not secession) from India.

In the past NDFB militias had already attacked the tribespeople of the area, together with displaced Muslims who have settled there in recent years. Last May, 32 people belonging to the Muslim minority were killed during an assault.

Local residents have long accused the Federal Government of sabotaging the local population, pillaging resources and limiting the development of the area. Prime Minister Modi recently promised to accelerate infrastructure development, with the construction of new roads and new railway links.

 

 

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